Kill Django … Kill First! (1970)

A stranger named Johnny MaGee (Giancomo Rossi-Stuart) arrives in a mining community and instantly runs into trouble with a couple of henchmen working for Anthony Burton (Aldo Sambrell).

Seems Burton is gaining control of all the richest mines in the area, by legal means, it seems, though the sheriff has a jail cell reserved for Burton should his suspicions prove correct.

At the moment, Burton’s trying to get his hands on the mine of old-timer Thomas Nathaniel Livingstone, but he’s reluctant to sell. In fact, he take son Johnny as a partner, hoping the two of them will finally find gold there.

Ah, but acquiring mines isn’t the only way Burton is exerting control over the townsfolk. He’s also the only one buying gold within a two-week ride, meaning he can set the price as low as he wants.

And should he want something other than a mine, he’ll find a way to accomplish that too. For instance, he’s got the local doctor deep in debt because of a gambling habit. He offers to wipe out all those debts in exchange for the doctor’s sister (Krista Nell as Molly) in marriage.

That’s not going to sit well with Molly, who’s falling for Johnny, or with Julie (Diana Lorys), Burton’s saloon singer of a mistress.

Meanwhile, Johnny can count on a helping hand from a bounty hunter named Ted (Mario Novelli), who shows up and decides this town might turn out to be pretty profitable.

Review:

A disjointed film with a handsome and very buff looking lead in Rossi-Stuart — who goes shirtless quite often to show off that physique. Plus tons of untapped potential.

Krista Nell’s character never really seems to be in danger of being forced to marry Burton, who she despises. Diana Lorys is a quite vengeful mistress when wronged, but the film doesn’t spend enough time focusing on that either.

Then there’s the intriguing character of Lupe Martinez (George Wang), a man with a past who is being blackmailed into killing miners for Burton with the hope of someday being allowed to return home.

He doesn’t seem to mind killing the first time we meet him. He balks when ordered to kill again. He stands out in the open during a gun battle with one mining family, as though he doesn’t care if he lives or dies or as if his cold stare will prove deadly.

Then he disappears, supposedly fatally wounded, back to the cave where he lives for a long part of the film.

In the right hands, those three characters could have served as the heart of an entertaining Spaghetti. Instead, Garrone serves up something very forgettable.

Directed by:
Sergio Garrone
as William S. Regan

Cast:
Giacomo Rossi-Stuart … Johnny MaGee
as Jack Stuart
Krista Nell … Molly
as Kristanell Doris
Aldo Sambrell …. Anthony Burton
George Wang … Lupe Martinez
Silvio Bagolini … Thomas Nathaniel Livingstone
Mario Novelli … Ted bounty hunter
Diana Lorys … Julie
as Diana Lori
Furio Meniconi … Sheriff
as Men Fury
Lorenzo Robledo .. Isaac McGregor
Laila Shed … Evelyn McGregor
Isarco Ravaiolli … Doc, Molly’s brother
Lorenzo Piani … Steve Adams
Vittorio Fanfoni … Bill/Jack Adams

Also with: Umberto Di Grazia, Romano Puppo, Ricca Andrea, Lilio Beato, Antonio Jimenez Escribano, Francisco Bonmati, Angelo Boscariol, Franco Ukmar, Giancarlo Ukmar, Giovanni Ukmar, Clemente Ukmar

Runtime: 86 min.

aka:
Uccidi Django… uccidi per primo!
Tequila

Music: Elsio Mancuso

Memorable lines:

Stranger: “I believe in the law.”
Thomas Nathaniel Livingstone: “The law that says you can do anything, as long as you can get away with it.”

Thomas: “Who would have ever thought that I, Thomas Nathaniel Livingstone, would have to dig for years and years and never find anything. Some people, when they’re born, open their eyes and find they’re rich. I’m gonna be closing mine pretty soon, and still nothing.”

Julie as Burton returns to her room: “I have the sensation I’m just part of the furniture in this room.”

Sheriff to bounty man Tedd: “I’ve had a nice jail cell waiting for Mr. Burton for a long time now. Bring me one piece of proof. Just one.”

Burton, upon learning that Molly loves someone else: “I understand. Someone who doesn’t have a cent. In a few years, she’ll be an old woman wallowing in diapers and 100 brats.”

Sheriff: “Your woman, Julie, confessed.”
Burton: “Who listens to women’s chatter?”

Trivia:

* Born in Italy, Giacomo Rossi Stuart studied acting at the Actor’s Studio in New York City and wnet on to rack up more than 100 screen credits. He appeared in about a dozen Eurowesterns, including two of the earliest — “Massacre at Grand Canyon” (1963) and “Gunfight at Red Sands” (1963).

* Sergio Garrone directed 13 films, mostly Spaghetti Westerns, though he graduated to horror and exploitation films in the 1970s, including “SS Camp: Women’s Hell” and “SS Experiment in Love.”

* A quick look at the cast list will show you that, yep, this is another of those Django films where none of the character’s are named “Django.”